Tag Archive for: party

Pittsburgh Quinceañera: A Latina’s Sweet Fifteen!

In May, I had the pleasure of photographing my first quinceañera, I’ve photographed bar and bat mitzvahs before, so I had some idea of what to expect, but let me say, this special milestone for latinas turning 15 is my kind of party! It’s a lot like a wedding in many ways with the formalities—the special dress and cake, but it’s all about the celebration of an emerging young lady. One of the sweet traditions of a quinceañera is that she comes to her party in slippers and later in the night, she ceremoniously changes into high heels! And then of course, she dances in them! What a fun way to celebrate womanhood!

Before the party started, we met at the overlooks at Mt. Washington for some portraits.

walking to Mt. Washington Overlook

quinceañera

portrait at Mt. Washington

The quinceañera was held at Franzee’s-Javy’s in Ambridge, Pa.

Quinceañera cake

After some introductions and a welcome speech the quinceañera danced with her father.

dancing with her father

first dance

A little later in the evening, came the champagne toast and this quinceañera had her first taste.

champagne

father's toast

cheers!

One of the littlest members of this quinceañera’s court presented the high heels to her father.

presentation of the high heels

She promenaded in her new heels with grace and poise.

promenading in her new shoes

And then the quinceañera court entered for the formal dance.

grand entrance

formal dance

And after that, the dance floor was jumping!

bustling dance floor

I’m pleased to add quinceañeras to my events coverage and would love to photograph more. Please contact me if you would like to learn more!

Birthday Party Photography: Enjoy Your Party And Let Me Capture It For You

I had the pleasure of documenting this sweet two-year old’s birthday party at Party Lane in Mars, Pa. It was a snowy weeknight and as I was driving to the party, I was concerned that the turnout would be a disappointment, but I was pleasantly surprised to see a terrific turnout for this sweet little girl. She is a huge Toy Story fan, so her mama went all out and threw her a party complete with a visit from Buzz Lightyear!

birthday girl meets Buzz Lightyear

Toy Story themed birthday party

Party Lane is a fantastic place for little ones to play and it made an awesome setting for this party.

party girl at play

They may have turned down the lights, but this little one’s smile lit the whole room! Happy birthday sweet girl!

Happy birthday!

Time for a quick family portrait!

a quick family portrait at the party

This mama said she wanted to be able to enjoy her daughter’s party without having her phone out the whole time to take photos. That way, she could savor the moments and let the photo-taking up to a pro!

yummy cake!

Also, lighting like this can be a challenge for your average cell phone, so having properly exposed, color-corrected photos is another bonus!

hanging with her daddy

I didn’t include photos of any of the other guests at this party because I don’t have permission from those families and want to respect their privacy. But just look at this cutie pie taking a phone call!

talking on her phone

Birthday parties sure are fun!

playing peek-a-boo

I’d say, this mama adores her little girl, wouldn’t you?

kisses from mommy

Kynleigh Turns One!

We took Little B to attend his first birthday party a few weeks ago. His cousin, Kynleigh, turned one and I’m not sure who had more fun between the parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents and our little sweethearts. It was a wonderful reason for a family reunion my sister did an amazing job planning this party with a cute polka dot theme. Anyway, I had fun photographing it too and figured I should share because it is too cute not to share. Here’s a taste of all the sweet details:

children photography first birthday

Here’s a sweet moment between the cousins. Acutally, I have a series of shots of the two of them and it really looks like they’re having a conversation. They held hands, she took his hat off and even tried to put it back on. There was a chorus of oohs and aahs behind me as I snapped these precious memories.

cousins at 6 months and 1 year

Here’s the gorgeous family before her cake smash.

mommy, daddy, and baby girl

And here comes the cake!

first birthday cake

ready for the cake smash

mmm yummy cake

first taste of cake

storybook

We love you, Kynleigh!

Pittsburgh Bar Mitzvah Photographers at Rodef Shalom and Fox Chapel Racquet Club

I recently had the pleasure of joining Alex Jones to photograph a bar mitzvah at Rodef Shalom and the reception and party that followed. This was a nice change of pace for me as a second shooter and I think it really benefits my wedding photography business to get out there and change things up a bit. Never having been to a bar mitzvah before, I was surprised at how much fun I had. And it was easy to see that the kids were having a blast. What a great year for them! They get to celebrate their own bar mitzvah and then share in the celebration for all of their friends’ bar and bat mitzvahs. Judging by this experience, Jack’s bar mitzvah would be a tough act to follow.

Like I mentioned earlier, we started at Rodef Shalom in Oakland where Jack had some time to practice conducting the service and reading the Torah. Here he is with the Torah during practice.

Pittsburgh bar mitzvah photographer
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